Operating state of the art baking ovens usually requires a user to select temperature and duration, and more or less continuously to observe the time course of a baking process.
In order to ease the operation of ovens, methods have been developed for more or less automating baking processes. Such methods for example provide automatic temperature control based on surface or core temperature values measured by temperature sensors during the baking process. Other known methods numerically approximate actual temperatures during the baking process, based on the applied temperature and the heat equation, for example.
In the field of baking ovens, and more particularly in the field of microwave ovens, it is known to use ultrasonic or infrared distance sensors, or photo sensors to determine a position, shape or status of the product, e. g. frozen, chilled or thawn. Position, shape and status are used for controlling the process of heating the product.
Other methods use cameras for taking pictures of the product and for approximating the shape, volume or size of the product in order to improve automation of the heating process.
The known methods and related ovens are far from providing possibilities of fully automated heating, and often require user interaction. In the technical field of ovens, it is therefore desirable to provide enhanced and user friendly possibilities for automated operation of ovens.